Between May 1 and May 7, federal prosecutors in Texas filed 256 criminal cases related to immigration and border security.
These cases include:
- 40 people accused of helping others sneak into the country (human smuggling)
- 46 people charged with illegally entering the U.S.
- 180 people accused of coming back into the U.S. after being kicked out before (felony reentry)
- 1 more case for another immigration violation
Many of these people already have criminal records, including crimes involving drugs, violence, or previous immigration problems.
Three cases involve men found in the McAllen area:
- Armando Montoya-Cardozo (from Bolivia) – previously convicted of a serious crime involving a minor and removed from the U.S.; found near Roma without permission to be here.
- Juan Jose German-Carrillo (from Mexico) – removed in January; previously convicted of hurting a child or elderly person and possessing illegal drugs; found near Roma.
- Rene Villarreal-Carmona (from Mexico) – removed before; previously convicted of drug crimes; found near Escobares.
If found guilty, each could spend up to 20 years in federal prison.
In another case, Jose Alejandro Luna-Rangel (from Mexico) was sentenced to 40 months in prison in Houston. He had been removed from the U.S. in 2016 after being convicted of driving under the influence with a child in the car. He came back illegally and was later convicted of family violence and felony drunk driving (third offense).
Federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Border Patrol, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and U.S. Marshals all worked on these cases, along with state and local police.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a national effort to fight illegal immigration, shut down criminal cartels, and protect communities from violent crime.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas covers 43 counties with over 10 million people, and prosecutors from Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen, and Laredo work together with these agencies to handle such cases.
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